Explosion kills boy at Cherry Hill Tree Farm

Vehicle collides with propane tank, triggering the blast, police say.

July 05, 2010|By Michael Duck and Tyrone Richardson, OF THE MORNING CALL

A 12-year-old Pen Argyl boy was killed and his father critically injured Monday afternoon at a Bushkill Township tree farm when the boy accidentally backed a dump truck into the cap of an underground propane tank, setting off an explosion, authorities said.

"My understanding is the father and he were there working, and the father let him back up the truck, at which time he drove over the cap to the propane tank, which wound up igniting," Bushkill Police Chief Stan Coopersmith said. "The truck went up, killing the young man. They just couldn't get him out of the truck."

Coopersmith said he believed the truck had "multiple people in it," but he wasn't certain whether Luke's father was among them.

At least part of the propane tank was underground, and another vehicle may have been involved in the incident, said officer Doughlas Schlegel Sr. of township police.

Coopersmith said he couldn't identify Hahn's father, but said he was "in rough shape" with "the majority of his body burned." A helicopter flew the father to an undisclosed trauma center.

Gene and Christine Lilly, whose backyard at 610 Creamery Road overlooks the farm, said the explosion appeared to have been beside a swimming pool, which is near the house on the farm.

"I was out on my deck," Gene Lilly said. "Then boom! The deck shook. The house shook. I looked over and the flames were shooting up in the air 30 or 40 feet."

Thin wisps of black and gray smoke could be seen rising from the explosion site as long as six hours after the explosion, while emergency personnel and firefighters scoured the scene throughout the afternoon.

Cherry Hill Tree Farm is at the corner of Creamery and Cherry Hill roads, near the western edge of the largely rural township. The 12-acre parcel is owned by Wind Drift Real Estate Associates in Bethlehem, according to county property records.

The farm is run by Phillip Ronca, who lives there with his family, Gene Lilly said. In addition to fields of Christmas trees, the farm also grows corn and houses cattle.

Gene Lilly said he could see the farm's roughly 30 steers dashing back and forth through their fenced field in a stampede after the explosion.

It wasn't immediately clear Monday why Luke Hahn and his father were at the farm. After the fire department makes certain the propane tank fire is out, Bushkill police will complete its investigation into what happened, Coopersmith said.